THE LORD’S JOY

Today’s Reading: Matthew 25

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

“Mr. and Mrs. Goat” on the West hillside of the Galilee. One never knows when a goat will decide to “butt.”  These two have caused me to think that if I am to be a “good and faithful servant” I should never say “But” to my Lord! The response should always be, “Yes Sir!”

Key Verse: Matthew 25:21

His Lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

God has given you at least one gift and perhaps many more. With His gifts come responsibilities. Never hide a gift. Invest in others. You grow what God has given you. What has God given you? Think about it. Talk to your Pastor and a trusted friend about it. Call the Crossroads toll-free Prayer Line and pray with someone (1-866-273-4444). Of course, pray about it yourself. Make decisions and move on those decisions. Ask God to stop you if you are moving in the wrong direction. God is Faithful. He’ll guide you. Move forward with your decisions.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Dear Lord God, Give me the grace to invest in my family, my community, my church, my friends and aquaintances, and even in far off places. Keep me faithful over the “few things” You’ve given me. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I was 16 the first time I tried to preach. I had given my life fully to Christ about two months earlier. The youth leader, Greta O’Brien, asked me to bring the message at a youth service.  As I spoke, they said my face got red, and I lasted all of five minutes. Several months later, I was baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). The next time I preached I studied the Word of God diligently, reading my text and the surrounding verses over and over. I prayed for a long time, making sure I was filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit. The words flowed from my heart, mind and mouth. There was no struggle or embarrassment. I knew that God had given me a gift of preaching His Word!

Thanking God for His gifts,

David

P.S. I’ve tried to keep to that number of “100 words” in each section of my blog, but I couldn’t help but notice that as I reviewed my hundreds of blog postings, my comments were becoming longer. Patient, loving readers wrote to me saying things like, “Don’t worry David if you go over.” So I relaxed and each morning between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., I just typed what I believed God had given me. Most days I will revise and refresh what I have previously written. Let’s remember to keep the “main thing the main thing”…that is the faithful daily reading of God’s Word, not necessarily my words about God’s Word!